The Guardian - The Secret Service said on Tuesday that it had uncovered and dismantled a covert, high-tech operation in the New York area, which had the capability to disrupt cellular networks.
The discovery came as international leaders were preparing to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly nearby, the New York Times reported.
Authorities revealed that the hidden communications system included over 100,000 SIM cards and 300 servers.
It was designed to allow anonymous, encrypted messaging and had the potential to interfere with emergency communication services.
“The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated,” said US Secret Service director Sean Curran.
“The US Secret Service’s protective mission is all about prevention and this investigation makes it clear to potential bad actors that imminent threats to our protectees will be immediately investigated, tracked down and dismantled.”
According to one official, the network could send up to 30 million text messages per minute without revealing the sender’s identity – an operation of unprecedented scale, the official noted.
While investigators have not found any direct evidence linking the system to a threat against the UN event, Secret Service representatives, who spoke anonymously due to the ongoing nature of the case, confirmed that the network is no longer active.
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